Mirrored devices for creating images in space have been known in the art for many years. Typically, a concave mirror in one form or another is utilized to project an image of an object into space so that to an observer, it appears that a copy of the object is located in a nearby area of space. The copy of the object appears to be levitating in the air.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,647,284 to Ellings et al. issued on Mar. 7, 1972, is an example of the prior art. In the Ellings arrangement, a pair of concave mirrors are placed opposite one another. An object to be projected, such as a coin or piece of jewelry, is placed on a concave surface of one of the mirrors, which faces the concave surface of the other mirror. A real image of the object is then projected through a small opening in the surface of the other mirror.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,776,118 to Mizuno issued on Oct. 11, 1988, discloses another prior art device utilizing a concave mirror to project an image. In the Mizuno arrangement, a single concave mirror is utilized opposite a television monitor. The television monitor displays an image which is projected in a three-dimensional form, in an upright position, on a transparent surface above the device.
While the prior art provides numerous devices for projecting three-dimensional optical images, the images are in general not "faithful", i.e. not congruent or geometrically similar to the object and must be viewed from a precise angle in order to avoid extreme distortion.
Additionally, the prior art devices are not capable of producing images which appear to be located in an area of space far from the mirrored device.
Therefore, the limited systems of the prior art have not made possible the use of projected images to give the sensation of the presence of the object in a realistic environment. There exists a need for an improved image projecting device which will provide a large faithful three-dimensional image which may be used in numerous applications. Such applications include effects useful in advertising displays such as the sudden appearance, disappearance and change of scale of three-dimensional images.